It may not be opera, but McCallon relishes chance to sing praise

BOBBY VASQUEZ

Published 7:00 pm, Monday, October 20, 2003

BROADCASTER: Let's start off with a little bit about yourself. Where are you from originally?

RON MCCALLON: I grew up near Beaumont in a town called Nederland. My parents still live there. I went to Lamar University in Beaumont. After graduating from there, I moved to this area, applied for a position in Deer Park and have spent my whole career here.

BROADCASTER: How was it that you came to Deer Park?

MCCALLON: I was actually working with the Beaumont Enterprise newspaper. I really wanted to come and sing with the Houston Grand Opera. I was heavily involved with opera in college and really loved it. I came here to work for the Houston Post. I have a degree to teach, but for some reason did not want to teach. I decided to go for it anyway and once I became a teacher, that is what I was supposed to do. I have really enjoyed all my 27 years here in Deer Park. I am extremely glad that I am a teacher and that I followed this profession.

BROADCASTER: What inspired you to get into the educational profession?

MCCALLON: It was my father. He was a refinery worker. While I was growing up, when he would have a day off, he would substitute teach. No matter where he came from, on those days, he came home excited. I grew up hearing how much he loved it. When I saw how much joy it brought him, I wanted to pursue that area. I certainly am glad that I did.

BROADCASTER: Where did you start once you got to DPISD?

MCCALLON: I started at Deepwater Elementary. I spent 26 years there. This is my first year at Fairmont Elementary. Until now, I had spent my entire career at Deepwater.

BROADCASTER: What is it about young people of this age that has endeared them to you?

MCCALLON: I had originally come here to perform. I still sing, but I realized that working with young people is very exciting. It is exciting to see them grow and to learn and do things that some of them never thought they would be able to do. It has been really exciting to see that light turn on and to see their faces shine and to prosper and grow.

BROADCASTER: Being one of the two newest campuses in the district, how has Fairmont Elementary fulfilled its niche in this neighborhood?

MCCALLON: What has really impressed me here is the parents. When you have parents involved in your school, that is what helps create that niche - making them a part of the school. For the school and the students to be successful, you have to have the parents involved. I have been really impressed with how the parents have been involved with the school and how proud they are of the school. It is very impressive to see the number of parents that we have volunteering in all of our schools. We recently had our Grandparents Day here and we had 890 total grandparents. Everything went smoothly. It was very gratifying for me to see that parents and grandparents spent part of the day here.

BROADCASTER: Coming into this year and this school, what did you think of the TAKS scores for Fairmont Elementary?

MCCALLON: Fairmont has done very well over the last several years. It is an Exemplary Campus, meaning that at least 90 percent of the students passed every subject area. I attribute that to the great staff here. They really care about the students. This school has a lot of pride and they instill that pride into the students. When you have all the factors working like they do here at Fairmont, you will have success and we have that here at Fairmont.

BROADCASTER: How does a campus administrator challenge the staff to do well on these tests without putting the pressure on the students.

MCCALLON: I try to support the teachers and the students. They know I am here for them. We go into the classrooms on a regular basis so that the students can see us. It is fun to watch them working and learning. The teachers don't mind us being there. They really welcome that. I feel that the role of the administrator is to support teachers so they can do their jobs and to create camaraderie in the school. We are a team with one goal in mind and that is to teach and strengthen children to the best of our ability.

BROADCASTER: What are some of the extra challenges that teachers face with TEKS?

MCCALLON: At the beginning of the school year, we work to see where each child is at in the learning process. As the students work, we have benchmarks and we keep track of every child. We know the strengths and weaknesses of every child. Once we get past that first benchmark, it shows us what students need extra help and gives us the opportunity to give that child what they need to catch up with the rest of their peers. The main thing that helps us is that we are able to keep track of each student.

BROADCASTER: How does that data help administrators and teachers in tracking the progress of each student?

MCCALLON: One of the thing that helps is that we are able to look at how large groups of students did on a test, like a classroom or an entire grade level. If you have a test question that a large percentage of student missed we can go back and take a look at what happened. It could be something that we did or it could be a way that a question was worded. As we look at the individuals, large groups and the test. While we get a lot of information on what they got right, we also get a lot of information on what they got wrong. It is helpful because it makes us take a look at ourselves and correct those areas.

BROADCASTER: What takes place at the Kindergarten, first and second grade levels to prepare for the first third grade TAKS test?

MCCALLON: In Kindergarten, they are learning their letters and are putting them together. I think now, Kindergarten students are probably doing what first graders were doing. They are starting to put letters together and read at that level. We are really progressing and that helps the upper grades. In first grade, students are reading and writing one, two and three sentences at a time and are able to read it. They start writing at an early age.

BROADCASTER: How important is the second grade year with testing in third grade?

MCCALLON: Very important. In our district as a whole, second grade teachers have really realized that and we have done a lot of vertical alignment in curriculum with the third grade teachers. It has really changed our curriculum in the second grade. Those teachers are preparing the students for what is coming at them in the third grade. That is why I said that teachers are really working together toward these goals.

BROADCASTER: What happens if deficiencies are recognized during a student's first couple of weeks of their third grade year?

MCCALLON: We have tutorials before school and starting in January, we have them after school too. We talk to their parents and let them know what is available. We want to give every child every chance to succeed.

BROADCASTER: What got you inspired to get into educational administration?

MCCALLON: I really enjoy working with students. I saw an administrative opening for a parent involvement coordinator. I did that for a year. An assistant principals job came open and I applied for that. I see administration as a way to work with all of the students. It is really gratifying.

BROADCASTER: Overall, what do you like best about what you do?

MCCALLON: Praising kids. The teachers send students to me to show me what they are doing, what they have learned and show their work. Getting to see their faces and praise them and see that light shine in their faces is really rewarding to me. To help teachers do what they do and be supportive of them is great. Just being a part of education has been very special to me. This is my 27th year, but it still seems like my first. It does not get old.